Israeli forces fire on Gaza Farmers and Internationals

Gaza-
Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at unarmed
farmers and international solidarity activists working in
Khuza’a, a small village outside of Khan Younis located
near the Israeli border. At 10:30 AM, the farmers arrived
and began to plough approximately 100 meters from the
separation fence while internationals lined up in between
the border and the farmers. They were quickly met by an
Israeli military jeep and transport vehicle. An Israeli
soldier issued a warning in Arabic to leave the area and
then fired two rounds into the air. The farmers and
internationals remained calm and continued their work and
the Israeli soldiers left the area. At around 11 AM,
approximately 20 Palestinians and farmers gathered around
300 meters back from the fence. Two military jeeps returned
to the area. One soldier exited his vehicle and fired four
shots in the direction of the farmers and activists. The
fourth shot crossed the line of the activists and landed in
the field being ploughed. Again, the Palestinians and
internationals were not deterred.

The Israeli jeeps left
and the farmers finished working on this section of land and
moved on to an adjacent plot.

Fifteen minutes later, two
Israeli jeeps returned, one equipped with an automatic
machine gun. A soldier fired three canisters of tear gas
directly in front of the activists. He proceeded to shoot
at the tractor, damaging its engine and bringing the work to
a halt. An international was accompanying the driver aboard
the tractor. The accompaniment team included participants
from Spain, Italy, France, England, Scotland, Germany and
the United States Gazan farmers successfully ploughed and
sewed wheat in adjacent plots, with the presence of
internationals, during the two days prior to the incident.
Though they were issued warnings by Israeli forces to stay
100 meters from the fence, they were not fired upon in a
similar fashion. “This incident is a prime example of the
military harassment and unpredictability of the Israeli
occupation forces that farmers routinely face while working
their land in Gaza,” said a solidarity activist from
Spain. For a report from the previous days farming, see http://palsolidarity.org/2012/12/gazan-farmers-at-work-in-kuzaa/.

Residents
from Khuza’a said they have not planted in this area,
declared a closed military zone by Israel, for the past
thirteen years. Formerly an orchard, Israeli forces
bulldozed the field multiple times during military
incursions and regularly shoots at farmers who attempt to
work there. Farmers were under the impression that this area
was now accessible after the November 21st ceasefire’s
stipulations that Israeli forces would “refrain from
targeting residents in the border areas” and to “stop
all hostilities in the Gaza Strip land, sea and air
including incursions and targeting of individuals.” This
is the optimum season for planting wheat and the Gazan
farmers only have a small window of time in which to work
before the land will be rendered unusable.

-- The
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led
non-violent resistance movement committed to ending Israel's
illegal occupation of Palestinian land. We call for full
compliance with all relevant UN resolutions and
international law.

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